


Of Bends In Path and Waysides

by GilornethTheGold



Series: A Light among Shadows [4]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Dwarf Culture & Customs, Dwarves, F/M, Families of Choice, Gen, Hobbit Culture, Hobbits, Hurt/Comfort, The Quest of Erebor, Timeline Shenanigans, fem!Bilbo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-26 15:58:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5010883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GilornethTheGold/pseuds/GilornethTheGold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Dwarrow of the Company view the strange, female Hobbit with different perspectives. Some have known her for long but she does not recognize them. Others have met her for the first time and while fascinated, they keep their distance. Some remain suspicious and some alert. Some don't gave her any importance at all.</p><p>Yet slowly they are beginning to warm up to their not-a-Burglar.</p><p>One has fallen in love and stubbornly denies it.</p><p>(Also known as the lost chapter 7 of "In Search Of Lost Paths")</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. But In Dreams I Hear Your Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all a warning, nothing is going to make sense if you haven't already read CG and ISOLP.
> 
> Basically Chapter 7 was going to be from the Company's point of view but my own laptop passed away before I could update it. Now I am using my sister's laptop (isn't she simply amazing??!) but I have to write this chapter again from scratch *sighs*
> 
> It's too much of an effort to type it again in one go so here is a separate part featuring our Dwarrow, one POV at a time. Enjoy!

Fíli, under the false pretense of being wholly occupied with sharpening one of his throwing knives, took a furtive glance at Miss Bagg- no he couldn't _bear_ to think of her as such. She had always been 'Bilbo' to him. But Bilbo too, was a name he couldn't call her by; well not yet anyway. For now it had to be Bellana. Not aloud though, just in his mind. Heir of Durin or not, he would receive quite a dressing down if he called her by her given name.

A small smile graced his lips, as the mental image of Dori's scandalized face materialized in his mind if Fíli did infact call Bellana by her name out aloud. The Dwarrow haven't yet considered the reality that their laws do not apply to her, she was a Hobbit not a Dwarrowdam. It would not be disrespect to use her given name even if she had not explicitly stated so. Yet Fíli would willingly thrust his knife through the heart of one who dared to call her without seeking her consent first. For she was _his sister_. 

Fíli peeked at her again, rubbing the back of his gloved hand against his cheek. Bellana was a little distance off, tramping across the thick undergrowth of the forest with few others. She was currently engrossed in plucking blackberries from their brambles for the crumble Bombur promised them (or as close to one could get, in wild).

His sister. Who had completely and utterly failed to recognize him.

 _It has been ten years after all,_ Fíli reasoned with himself trying to ignore the knot in his heart. And they had met only for a few times as children, before the the incident. He knew she had no memory of that. It made sense that she wouldn't recognize him or Kíli.

Even if they had claimed her as their sister. Even if that bond continued to exist without her knowledge.

Fíli took a deep breath, trying to ease the tension in his muscles. He slumped against the rough bark of a birch, and placing a hand in his pocket brought out a sharpening stone. Better to keep himself occupied when such thoughts threatened to overtake his mind.

Between oiling the sharpening stone and adding a bit of it to the hinge and running the rough edge up one side of the blade, Fíli continued to gaze at her. Bellana, occupied as she was in avoiding the thorny bushes as she gathered the ripened fruits, failed to register his staring.

Physically, she had changed but a little as the Dwarf mused to himself. Her mop of honey curls was longer than before and the tresses were pulled back from the top instead of being in Frerin's distinctive braids. She had blossomed into quite a lovely women but her eyes remained the same, 'hazel' as Frerin would call them or emeralds with flecks of axinite as any other Dwarf would, and so did her smile and her soft voice and the rosiness of her cheeks.

Honestly, thinking that her features would change was ludicrous but it was difficult to match this Hobbit with sister he had came to know and loved; the sister he still loved. He did not know when Bellana Baggins had transformed into this shy and withdrawn Hobbit, so introverted that she wouldn't maintain eye contact when she spoke, or the way she stuttered over her words, and how she took great pains not to offend anyone. He had registered many a times of how she would knot her hands tightly while addressing one of the Dwarrow, and how her lower lip trembled when she spoke to _him_.

Where had the audacious and Tookish spirit within her vanished off to? She was not the Bellana Fíli knew, with her ready wit and merry laughter and still with the same sweet and kind-hearted temperament he saw in her everyday. She had changed from the last time he had set his gaze upon her.

The memory remained sharp as a blade's point in his mind.

Bilbo, his baby sister, lying on a bed in the healer's ward, her lovely hair cropped short and a bandage wrapped around her head, her face pale and drawn and her eyes peering at him; fogged and focused. Kíli had approached her first.

_"Who are you?"_ She had inquired, her voice coming out in rasps. "Where's Frerin?" 

Frerin, his uncle, who had suffered many wounds was sitting outside; his face in his hands. Only his broke persistence had convinced Fíli to grab a largely indignant Kíli and traipse back to Ered Luin to inform Ma and Thorin of what had taken place. Guard had been tripled and when Frerin had returned they all collectively demanded to bring Bilbo to Ered Luin. Her coming of age was a decade away but they couldn't help that. She was as much in danger as Durins were.

 _"She will remain in Shire,"_ Frerin had told them in a voice devoid of emotion. _"I left her."_

"You're a million miles away." A soft-spoken voice from his left side cut through Fíli's inner monologue. Astonished, the blond raised his head to peer into the emeralds of her irises, before they fixed themselves on the collar of his jerkin.

"It is easy to lose myself in my thoughts when I'm sitting idle," He replied easily, gesturing for her to sit down. After placing her basket of berries on a turf of grass, Bellana hesitantly seated herself in front of him

"You're not sitting idle though." The Hobbit quietly observed, her hazel gaze shifting to the weapon on his lap and the sharpening stone clutched in his one hand.

Fíli smiled. "I was sitting idle," he corrected. "This blade is sharpened, see? I am going to do another one, just for the sake of it.

A furrow appeared in her brows and Fíli could guess the question she wanted to ask.

"Doing nothing makes me restless, Miss Baggins." He clarified. "As they say, we Dwarrow are not of much use out of battlefield." Many a Man had commented so when the Dwarrow had been forced to look for work in their villages.

The Hobbit made an odd sound. Silence stretched for a while as Fíli waited for her to speak, Bellana as he knew, rarely approached anyone if there was not either something important or urgent to be said.

"You're much more than that," She blurted out a moment later and instantly regretted it. "I mean, uh, I-" The Hobbit took a deep breath.

Fíli made a polite, inquiring 'hun?". He felt amused and pleased to think that she would take offense on his behalf.

"It's nothing," she mumbled. "Nothing."

"Now you have roused my curiosity," Fíli mildly insisted. "I must know."

She flushed, clamped her lips and finally looked straight into his eyes. "You're a jeweler for one. A diplomat for second. You're a skilled warrior too, from what I have seen with all those sparing and training sessions."

"And you my lady have a way with words," He placed a hand over his heart dramatically and Bellana gave him a small smile. "What brought about these observations though? And how by Mahal's name you know of my chosen craft?"

She did not immediately reply. A sudden thought struck him.

"Kíli?"

"Kíli." She agreed.

"I should have known. It seems that I must have a word with my brother before he gives more of our kin's secrets away."

Fíli meant it teasingly, she was his baby sister after all, but the Hobbit did not saw it as such. Her face fell.

"I should probably go," Bellana's gave dropped down. "Bombur would be needing these for the crumble." She picked up her basket.

There was an evident hitch in her voice, as she stood up abruptly and scampered off. Fíli thought he knew what it was.

Sometimes he wished he could knock some sense in Uncle's head, just as he could do so with Kíli.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I am making this stuff as I go, some of the things are not going to be consistent...I apologize for that. Hopefully, it will all make sense in the end :)


	2. And In Dreams We Meet Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Durin's Day! Here is a gift for you all :) (apparently according to tumblr it is today, correct me if I am wrong!)

"Why is ya mood off?" Bofur threw a pine-cone at him. Kíli ducked his head and the cone whizzed over his head and struck Nori's cheek. The Dwarrow cheered and spurred them on as Nori shoved at Bofur and the two rolled to the ground, laughing as they aimed punches at each other.

Kíli wished they would stop. He did not feel like joining in, although both the thief and the miner had attempted several times to draw him out of his grim mood. This display too, was probably for his benefit or perhaps they were fighting over a bet? One could never tell with the duo.

Kíli shook his head, drawing out a long breath. It did nothing to ease the tension in his muscles. He felt _conflicted._

There was his sister, seated at the other corner of the glade under the shade of a colossal ash tree, utterly. No one payed her any notice. And even Kíli couldn't go to her. Couldn't pull her into a hug and tell her how sorry he was for leaving her ten years ago, and how much of a terrible brother he felt for neglecting her since. She was his _akrâgnana_ , but he had left her alone all those years and even now he couldn't go to her.

How could he do so when his idiot of a brother had told him not to _tell her anything?_.

_"Kíli, you must understand. She does not recognize us. If you go to her now and tell her of what happened, it will only confuse her. Do you not see how depressed she looks? Have you not seen how much she has changed?"_

_"But she does not need to be alone or depressed anymore. We can change that. We have to change that. We're supposed to look after her, she is our sister even if she does not know-"_

_"We **will** look after her. But now is not the time to tell her. You understand, don't you Kee?"_

Kíli didn't. They had spend ten years doing nothing, agreeing to Uncle Frerin's words, biding their time. Now, Bellana was _with_ them and it was as good opportunity to tell her as any. They had to make up for those long years spend apart!

Kíli glanced at her again, and saw her staring back at him. Hazel eyes locked with his dark topaz-brown gaze, Kíli saw a her features turn ruby-red. She hastily looked away.

His head throbbed and the ache in his heart intensified. He noticed how lonely she seemed, sitting so far apart from everyone while at the same time the Company gave her a wide berth. No one payed her any attention.

A sudden thought struck him. That was how it had occured too last time, hadn't it? Bellana had been out on a stroll, alone in the forest marking the Eastern border of the Shire when she was attacked and taken on unawares.

A seething rage burned in the blood coursing in his veins and at the same time the cold cloak of melancholy wrapped around his soul. Kíli wasn't sure whether he felt angry or terrified.

_What if it happened again? What if Orcs launched an assault and there was no one to protect his baby sister?_

Suddenly it was too much for him to bear. Kíli shoved Bofur out of the way and was up on his feet in an instant. He swept a swift gaze around and saw Thorin sitting nearby, deep in conversation with Dwalin. Kíli kicked at a dirt clod in his path and wended his way towards his elder uncle.

"What is it?" As far as Kíli was concerned, Thorin would always take a fleeting glance of his features and immediately know that something was amiss. It was an uncanny ability of his or perhaps Kíli wore his heart on his sleeve, like his amad said. Today was not any different from the rest.

"When are we setting off?" He gritted out.

Dwalin snorted. "Thought you'd be glad of a rest. Go relax yer limbs. We'll set off soon enough."

"Give me something to do," Kíli said plaintively. "I have rested already."

Thorin placed a hand under his chin with a gentle pressure and Kíli looked into his uncle's concerned sapphire gaze.

He muttered beneath his breath. "You wouldn't understand."

Thorin probably knew it was no good arguing further. Kíli was not adept at keeping his thoughts a secret, he would always confide in sooner or later. "Alright then, think you're up for a few drills from your old uncle?"

The tension in his heart dissipated and Kili grinned. "Aye, milord. Of course I am up for it." Dwalin laughed and gave him a hearty thump on the back.

Half in hour later, they were panting and sweating profusely but Kíli finally felt tension drain out of him and felt himself relax, smile even. 

"Alright now, nûlukhith? His Uncle clasped his arm lightly, voice gruff but concerned. 

Kíli leaned forwards to rest his forehead against Thorin's, rubbing his nose against his uncle's jutting one. "Yeah," he mumbled. "A lot better."

He felt Thorin place a kiss on his forehead. "You are aware that you can come to me with your every problem, inùdoy. Don't let worries fester in your heart." "I know," he whispered and in that while Kíli staunchly believed that everything would turn out fine, just as the way it was meant to be. He looked in the sapphires of his uncle's eyes and knew that he wouldn't let any harm come to him, Fíli or their akrâgnana.

They had sworn to protect Bellana. And Kíli knew with surety that she was one he would die to save.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Khuzdul  
> -akrâgnana: honour-sister” / female that is no direct relation by blood, yet is regarded by one as a sister, holding her in high honor and offering an unshakable sense of loyalty, friendship and profound platonic love. (credit: thedwarrowscholar)  
> -Nûlukhith: little moon/an endearment (credit: werecakes//tumblr)  
> -inùdoy: son.


End file.
